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Kaye's Trip Report - Part 1 Botswana & Zimbabwe 1.7.06 to 14.7.06

I think I shall do this in two parts, Botswana and Zimbabwe and then South Africa.

Left home, Brisbane Australia, 30 June to fly to Hong Kong then onto Johannesburg. Way too many hours in the air! Fortunately no funny stories to tell! Arrived in Johannesburg about 7am to be met by a CCA rep. (as this was all booked through CCA) who handed me a lot of paperwork and took a bag off me that was to be returned for the South African portion of the trip. Then was off to Maun, so plenty of time for a flight that left about 10.30am. The Maun arrival area was a bit of a shock, I was first in line for customs, but the customs lady was at morning tea I think and we all waited about 10 minutes, then I went to collect my luggage which was carried by trolley and put on a rack for collection. People were getting really cranky as it took the men three trips to empty the plane, needless to say mine was on the 3rd trip. Walked to the greeting area and we had to wait for one family to arrive before the short plane trip to Nxageba! It was an American group, grandparents and two kids aged 10 and 15. My travelling companions for the next 4 nights and I should have seen what was to come as when we arrived after the short flight to Nxageba, which I thought was a good smooth flight, the 15 year old boy fell on the tarmac and lay down groaning and ended up being carried to his room! I will say that they were one of the worst guests I have ever had in a vehicle, consistently late and loud and never quite for a minute, but fortunately not a feature of my trip.

My tent was nice, even though I am not a big tent fan. The staff at Nxageba were wonderful. The ranger and tracker were also good, but I found both the rangers in Botswana a bit overpowering with their imparting of knowledge, I often felt as if I would be examined at the end of each gamedrive. The gameviewing here was really quite disappointing! The no driving off road did not help, the exception being cat sightings. Most general gameviewing was viewed at a huge distance, as no off road or the water stopped us. I had imagined that peak season rates meant peak gameviewing, for me, that was not true at all. That is not to say I didn't see anything, because I did see one of the Pom Pom males, one of two territorial males and also some of the lionesses of the Pom Pom Pride, one of whom wears a tracking collar. I also saw 2 leopard cubs aged about 10 months, but they were fairly nervous and the photos I took were less than impressive. Saw quite a few ele and a lot of birds around the camp, that let me get quite close. Also they have a sweet little tree squirrel named Pocket, that was hand raised and lives around the camp, who ran up my leg one day and investigated my camera, looking for nuts I was told. I really liked the speed boat ride in the Delta, even though we saw next to no wildlife. The water was so pristine and if I had the boat to myself, I would have loved the peace and quite and really enjoyed the beauty of the Delta. The tracker did the boat trip and I really liked that aspect, as sometimes the trackers can be very quite and in the background, while I like to see both of them work as a team. Also did the mokoro which was enjoyable, though not a highlight as a gameviewing activity, it was a highlight that I was by myself and had a nice conversation with someone else's tracker and how he was looking for a wife and to have children! I love staying at one camp for longer periods of time, but for the lack of gameviewing 4 nights was too long for this camp.
Then I moved onto to Sandibe, which was a short flight, but made slightly longer by flying a group to another camp then going onto Sandibe. Driving into camp, we drove past a couple who had been at Nxageba, they had room 8 which they said I would have, and it was on hippo highway. But as it turned out, I never heard them past my room so that was good. Sandibe was a nice camp and I quite liked my room except I am not a fan for the outdoor shower! I shower when I wake up which was before sunrise and when I return from evening gamedrive which was after sunset, so I found it slightly scary. Everyone else said they showered in the middle of the day, but I like my shower routine and didn't want to change it, so I was not unhappy to see the end of that shower!

The gameviewing here was also very disappointing though a few highlights. Got a distant photo, of a black-backed jackal chasing a secretary bird, saw briefly another two leopards, a young female and a male. The rangers do not refer to the leopards by any name, other than a young female, which if I was to revisit, I would find annoying, as I like a bit of history not just a female leopard, and I would like to know if she was a leopard I had seen on previous visits. The male was a very brief sighting and a visual of 1 out of 5. I really wish I had seen this, but everyone was keen to return for dinner, as if they could not eat at anytime, so I had little choice but to return. A guest was telling me about this enormous snake that the male had killed and she was describing how big it was, and I thought she was exaggerating big time, but I am still amazed at how big the python must have been and really what a shame for the poor thing to have its life end that way. We only saw part of its body that must have been 25cm diameter, and the ranger estimated 6m long and about 150 kgs in weight, would have loved to see it alive. But the snake had itself around the leopard, then somehow the leopard got himself free and made short work of killing the poor python. There was some of the snake remaining the next day, but on the part eaten only the skin that touched the ground remained. Also saw some mating lions of the resident pride, with one male keeping her away from the second male who was lying in scrub a short distance away. Also enjoyed the boat ride here but little wild life seen, but again the beauty and pristine water of the delta was amazing.

The grasses in both of these camps were high which again did not help gameviewing, and I am still amazed that July is considered peak season. I am pleased that I have seen Botswana again, but would not be rushing back. The staff at both camps were lovely and nothing was too much trouble, but I was expecting a lot more of the gameviewing!

Next is Matetsi Water Lodge in Zimbabwe for 6 nights and I am going there specifically to see Sable. A small plane takes me to Kasane and I am met here by a CCA rep who is waiting for me. The drive must have been just on an hour with a border crossing as well, though I did not even get out of the vehicle, so that was easy. I am dropped off at a meeting point about 15 minutes from the lodge and here my ranger is waiting for me and when I tell him my wish list is sable, he assures me that sable are like impala, just everywhere! That should have been a clue right there and then.

The ranger and tracker here were fabulous, Kheto and Kenias(who is actually a ranger, but works as a tracker since Safari camp closed down). I had mostly private game drives as most of the other guests only stayed 1 night and always seemed to skip gamedrives. I didn't get it, but it suited me as we were always in pursuit of those elusive sable! Again, and I had been warned, the gameviewing was not great! Not helped by no off road and the hunting reserve next to Matetsi. I heard rifle shots a few times and once was watching a herd of ele drinking, the females and babies all fled while the ele bulls showed no reaction. Also, for the first time I was aware of, I had hunters as fellow guests. Even though they were there for 2 nights, I only had 1 waterdrive with them - it was more than enough!

The rooms were nice, but in need of small repairs. The bedroom was separated from the bathroom which was lovely and spacious, but being on my own I did not feel as secure here as I did in the tent in Botswana which had a door but no lock! I asked the security guards if they walk around the rooms during the night and they told me they didn't, and that made me feel quite isolated as I was the last room #18 and no-one was in 17 for 4 out of 6 nights. One thing that I had never heard at a game reserve was the cows and chickens that I regularly heard from Zambia villages across the Zambezi.

Saw fresh tracks of both wild dog and a lioness with cubs but never found either group. Had some great ele sightings from the river cruise, which I did 3 afternoons. Also saw a pair of fish eagles on a water monitor kill, which was an awesome sighting! The Zambezi is a beautiful river and having breakfast and lunch each day on the riverbank was the most picturesque setting I have ever had!

I decided to go to Victoria Falls one day but was a little concerned being by myself, so Kenias ended up coming with me as he hadn't seen the falls since last October and said he would like to see them at their best. The falls fall about 100m and water came up about 150m. We both had raincoats on and we both looked like drowned rats at the end of our falls walk. I had been once before in Sept 2001, and while it was good and still worthwhile, the volume was nothing like it was this time. I actually wondered if the view from the helicopter ride was as good, with all of that spray about, maybe blocking the view. It was a great display and I am pleased that I went and delighted that Kenias joined me on the trip as I felt safer being with another person.

On the fourth morning, I got my sable. Unfortunately not a breeding herd, but 3 single bulls within an hour and a half, not that close and they were on the run as soon as we stopped the vehicle. The luck of the draw I guess, but at least I saw those 3! They are such magnificent antelope! Surprisingly saw very few hippo, and those seen at a distance, as the water is so high around the camp, they were only just returning to the area.

One night I came back to a lovely surprise. A bath with flowers and candles had been set up for my return, it was so sweet of them and the first time that has ever happened! Again I was pleased I went, though the gameviewing was average at best. The staff are thrilled to have you there, and that shows. The night drives were odd in that they used no spotlight, so that may well be a condition of the park.

This trip was planned last Oct/Nov 2005 and was changed in February this year through incorrect information given to me. I do not like jumping from camp to camp to camp, but I did it this time and when the gameviewing is unsatisfactory, then it's OK but I spent way too much time packing and unpacking and travelling from camp to camp, but I live and learn! I also found the english spoken by the Botswana people harder to understand, while the Zimbabwe people gave me no problem.

So I left Matetsi feeling a bit sad as I had to wait until the following afternoon before I was gameviewing again - missing 2 gamedrives! The Victoria Falls airport was also in another world, all the xray machines were not working so people went through all your hand luggage, which was no big deal, god knows I had time to kill! But I was amazed at how annoyed people got with the time taken, and it was ridiculous, because they had to wait over an hour for the plane to leave, just as annoying as people standing behind you at the supermarket glaring at you to unload your basket, when someone in front has a trolley full so again, you are going nowhere, so what is the rush? Good, needed to get that off my chest as well!

So I am hoping that I have left the best till last - with a night in Johannesburg(unavoidable), then onto Londolozi for 10 nights, 5 at Founders then 5 at Pioneer and best of all, I will be by myself as CCA have kindly offered me a private vehicle after the last trip! I was a bit worried because I had 5 nights at Bateleur last December and was less than pleased with gameviewing and the camp!

I am also going to Botswana via Jo'burg in November. I have to collect my luggage from London before checking-in again, so it is good to know that it is a hassle-free process . Apparently Virgin can't forward my luggage on to Air Botswana

I'm looking forward to reading the next installment. I think if you post here, it's just as convenient to read about the whole trip in one place, especially since Botswana/South Africa often are combined destinations.

glad that you saw your sable and hope that you were not disappointed the balance of your trip.

All 3 of your locations would go in the South Africa Index (as opposed ot the East Africa one)--but your title indicates only Botswana and Zimbabwe so you might want to start a new thread and then both can be linked in the index.

Sorry your trip to Bots was a little disappointing, and thanks for the review of Matetsi, we had considered it years ago and were talked out of it by our agent. We too liked Sandibe for its camp and staff, but felt the game viewing was weak, which is interesting given its proximity to Chitabe, which everyone raves about.

Kaye next time, try the Wilderness camps, even spend less time and see Mombo, they are very serious about who the cats are there and being an MM junkie like you, I really appreciate that.

Africa, you have to identify your baggage on the tarmac before it is loaded to an Air Bots flight, thus no routing to final destination is possible.

Kaye, thanks for the very candid report, which is refreshing, since most reports shovel the most effusive praise on every lodge (which may make sense from a first-time visitor). But, its nice to see a report from a seasoned visitor, who can compare lodges.

You must have got lucky, or maybe its just Virgin that cant get the stuff checked through. But its been a feature of every flight to Maun that I've taken that you ID your bag on the tarmac then it is loaded.

i echo matt's comments. u didnt get to experience the true botswana wildlife. take a trip to savuti and mombo and then you will be able to make a like for like comparison with mala mala. i doubt you will be disappointed (see Julian's report).

I would be reluctant at the moment to return to Botswana. It is too much money to be disappointed about, though I never regret the experience as I live and learn. I wonder if I am setting my standards for animal viewing too high, as certainly some of the other guests were very happy with what they were seeing, but looking at my completed photo album, I have way too many birds which tells me I wasn't seeing enough animals. Though I have gained quite an interest in birds, I have to say that I have too many bird photos over animal photos.

I have run out of work time to start South Africa, but shall do it tomorrow. Also will start on photos this weekend, but need some assistance with that, so shall have to wait for him to have some time.

Looking at that South Africa index, I now see that it really should be called Southern Africa not South Africa as in the country, is that right?

INDEX people, should I remain in this thread, or start up one called Part 2 South Africa 14.7.06 - 25.7.06???

Kaye: unfortunately I think the camps you had do not match your preferences as a safari goer. Sandibe has an emphasis on water activities (such camps are special but typically not nearly as good for mammal viewing) and is openly marketed as a birders paradise. Nxabega being in the Moremi reserve I believe has road and night time restrictions which is certainly not what you are used to or prefer.

I think anyone going to Botswana, and especially anyone who wants an emphasis on predators needs to spend some of their time in the Linyanti/Selinda or Kwando concessions where predator action is at its best. If you were to pair a camp in this area with one or two in the delta that were better paired to your safari desires I think you would find yourself having a very different and better experience than what you had.

It is important to know though this is a wilderness area at its best which is very different viewing than the fenced border of the Sabi Sand where the high density of mammals is packed into a small area with a high density of tourism leading to very habituated predators. Botswana has many habituated cats but it also has many that choose to move and lose you in the vast concessions that often contain 3 or less vehicles a day and cover only a small portion of the concession area each time out.

Thanks for the detailed reporting, I look forward to the South African portion of the trip which I expect will meet your desires much better.

Thanks for the trip report, great reading! I'm sorry that Botswana didn't meet your expectations, I wonder if the extreme rain this year has made the animal viewing harder.

I've only been to two camps in Botswana, both Wilderness camps, but next year go back to four more Wilderness camps, and of course looking forward to the off-road driving. So your report about the limited off-roading at the two CCAfrica camps was a surprise to me. I think a few others (including Napamatt?) have been to Sandibe, but I don't remember any mention of this. As others more knowledgable than me have now mentioned, I'm sure this isn't the norm for Botswana. I guess this is the "policy" of CCAfrica in Botswana??? But at least in my mind, that makes the CCafrica camps (which cost just as much) less desirable than the Wilderness or Kwando camps.

I was at Londolozi last June, and there did not seem to be an issue with off-roading. In fact, I guess that LZ Tree Camp is my favorite camp to date. There were more rules and regulations regarding off-roading at Madikwe (but that is not a private concession), and in my view, that did somewhat limit the game viewing.

Anyway, hope your next portion at LZ goes better at this time of year, as I know you were not that satisfied there last January.

As far as the trip index, yes it would really be better if the title was Southern Africa not South Africa, but don't know how to change that now. But so many people combine South Africa with Bots, or Namibia, or Zamibia, that the trip reports usually just flow together, so you might as well post your entire trip together.

Sandibe was not in my experience a birding paradise, granted I knew a lot less then, than I do now, but I was very keen and could at least tell the difference between the various Doves back then. The guide pointed out some birds, but on the mekoro trip for example I didn't see a single bird.
I think I liked the camp after the privations of Savuti and Lagoon, but the game and birds were not special.
And they did off road a little for a Leopard but that was it.
Off roading really is at a different level in SSGR, and sssh.. it also occurs at Mombo.

Matt: Birding paradise is the claim on their web page but I'll take your word for it. It sounds like it is a very nice camp to stay in but certainly not ranking too high as far as Botswana Camps for wildlife viewing.

I feel for you regarding Botswana...actually just as disappointed as if it had been me, and quite puzzled. If I have the right Kaye, I remember your asking me a year ago (in my initial Selinda/Kwando/Zibalianja trip report) which agent I used. I would urge you not to give up on Botswana and to follow the advice of Pred about pairing camps in the Linyanti & delta regions.

<<It is important to know though this is a wilderness area at its best which is very different viewing than the fenced border of the Sabi Sand where the high density of mammals is packed into a small area with a high density of tourism leading to very habituated predators>>

Not really true as the SSGR forms part of the Greater Kruger Park i.e. 2 million hectares.Yes the private reserves are bunched together and yes there is a fence on the extreme western border.

Predator Biologist - news to me that Sandibe is openly marketed as a birder's paradise - as I made my preferences known very clearly when making this trip through CCA that I am not a birder (as yet)! Also interesting that you say it has an emphasis on water activities - I was only offered a very quick boat ride on my morning of departure, and I saw a purple heron, that was it! I am thinking that "wilderness areas" are not me at all.

Brandywine - no the off roading I was told was not a CCA policy, but a restriction set by the reserve to minimize the damage to the reserve. Londolozi has far fewer restrictions for off roading, but they did have some, though not for cat viewing.

Matt - I agree that it was not a birder's paradise. We also off roaded for lion, but that was it as well.

John - it may have been me, though I do not remember doing so. I mostly book directly now, CCA was the exception. I initially tried a few out of Melbourne and was less than thrilled with them.

I guess there could be a couple of Aussie Kayes in Queensland It's interesting that you should mention Melbourne, as that's where my agent is: African Wildlife Safaris. If you tried them, I'm surprised they turned you off as I've used them for 10 years with a great deal of satisfaction. But then, they have expanded their interests in the past couple of years and now cover India, Canada, the Galapagos, Antarctica and so on, so maybe they weren't as welcoming to a new client as they should have been. I usually find the bigger an outfit gets, the more out of touch with its customers it becomes. The other Melbourne agent I know something of, Peregrine, should also have guided you to a great package with no disappointments. I've travelled with one of their Africa experts. If you change your thinking about Botswana at any time and need some personal contacts at either of these organisations, email me jfm at afrigalah dot com

Night in Johannesburg was OK though I hated missing two gamedrives. Arrived at the International Airport at 8.30am for flight to Londolozi, and waited for another 6 guests to arrive. Was thrilled that two of them were from Sydney NSW as we had just had the final of three games of State of Origin Rugby League, and it was one all when I left and Queensland (that is me) won and NSW (that is them) lost, for the first time in a few years so I was dying to tell someone that news and that poor fellow and his wife were the ones.

OK I shall move on! I understood the flight to Londolozi was direct, but I was incorrect - due to some airstrip battles with the authority over airstrips, Londolozi can no longer land directly on their own field, but must stop in Sukuza and you transfer to a smaller plane and go onto your lodge.

I was in Founders Camp for the 1st five nights, so after signing papers and waiting for my room to be ready, I was shown to my room. It was a lovely surprise after my previous experience at Bateleur Room #10. This one was spacious with somewhere comfortable to sit and with a nice bathroom. So I was a happy camper so far. The first gamedrive I was without my ranger for my 10 day stay, as he had been detained at Durban. So I set out with Paul, now the Operations Manager, who was equally keen to be out. I was introduced to my tracker, quite famous I am told, Elmon, and I have seen him in a few documentaries with John Varty. I had a private gamevehicle which was great and I thank Londolozi for that thoughtful gesture, especially when passing vehicles overloaded with people!

Before dark and in good light we had our first leopard sighting, a male identified by ranger and tracker as the Short Tail Male (last December he was the Short Tail Young Male). The next day this was changed after Andrew, my ranger for the rest of my stay, saw a photo and said I had actually seen the Mhangene Male.
The next day we saw the Short Tail Male (MalaMala's Bicycle Crossing Male) and I love seeing the same leopards each trip to see how they are faring. He was going very well and looked in great nick. This morning also saw a pair of secretary birds which is always exciting because they are such odd looking birds and I was able to get a reasonable photo. Today I was also having a friend from Singita come and have lunch with me. She brought her husband and 7 month old baby boy with her. Londolozi and staff were very gracious in this regard and we had a wonderful lunch and they were invited to return before I left for another lunch, and they did do this, so that made my stay at Londolozi a bit more special otherwise I would not have seen Angel that trip, nor meet her husband or baby.

Angel must have been my good luck charm as that afternoon I got something from my wishlist. A relaxed serval sighting - true was wishlist also included 1 to 3 kittens, but I took what I had - a relaxed subadult that we were with for nearly one hour, coming to within a couple of metres of our vehicle. Elmon in his 37 years had only had 4 sightings of serval, and not one that was so relaxed as this little gem. The serval made 2 kills, and in a photo I have, the poor mouse's face reflects the horror of capture. I know how lucky I was, I hope the people in the other vehicle realised how lucky they were!

I put in a request for both lion and leopard cubs. Andrew and Elmon tracked over 3 days for the leopard cubs, an hour or so at a time, while I was on guard duty on the vehicle which is a bit boring, but I know how worthwhile tracking can be, so a small small price to pay!

We had a great sighting of the Sunsetbend Female (MalaMala's Ngoboswan Female) one of my favourites who had been feeding in a tree, but was relaxing on the ground - unfortunately she did not have her 6 month old male cub with her, and I wanted to see him. So back we went in the afternoon and sure enough, he was present and with great difficulty I eventually got my photo. All of our (well Elmon and Andrew really) tracking on the cubs paid off this afternoon, and it happened that we had a bit a luck as well. Elmon was convinced the Mxabene Female leopard and her two cubs were in a certain section, and we did the boundary ride while he walked it and he was sure they had gone in and not out, except for a small stretch in front of the den site, so we drove there and a big fat nothing. So as we sat there waiting on the boss, which was Elmon of course, on our next move, we heard the distinctive sound of bone being crushed - and lo and behold when we drove through the gully and up about 4 metres, there she was, the Mxabene Female feeding on a bushbuck kill. We were all so thrilled, as she had been without food at least 2-3 days now, and all you can think about is she needs a feed to keep those babies alive. Then out of the long grass came a leopard cub, 3 month old and while we were wondering where the other one was, from behind us came a hyena. It was a dreadful moment! I am pleased I did not throw myself out of the vehicle to protect the leopard, not that she needed my help, but I wanted her not to lose that kill! Luckily not much left, and she gave it up without a fight, but then 2 more hyena were there, and this time she charged in, in order to give the cubs time to escape I am sure. The cub we saw ran up a tree right near us and the other one that we didn't see seemed to run towards a termite mound with a hyena in pursuit. The Mxabene Female watched the cub in the tree then after a minute or two, while the hyena were still sniffing around for more food, she headed after the other cub, called to it and then headed away from the hyena and the treed cub, which was safe but obviously nervous. We ended up following the female and cub who had a happy reunion, after some terrifying moments. The treed one kept calling but mum and cub kept their distance. After about 15 minutes, the female with cub in pursuit headed back to the treed cub but as she got closer a hyena rushed at her, again she took it on, in order to give the 2nd cub time to fly up a tree. She lay down and groomed looking as if she had not a worry in the world, while the 2 cubs were positioned quite uncomfortably up different trees and I was trying to regain my wits, after losing them for quite a few moments. It was around this time a landowner appeared, as though I was asked if I wanted to leave, it was obvious that we were going to leave and let the landowner take our position. It really shows you that this is life and death, and over my visit there, when we found the Mxabene Female on the hunt, both myself and Andrew chose to leave her to it, because I didn't want to ruin her chances of food, and I believe, and I have argued it a few times, that we do have an impact on a hunt, no matter how careful we are.

Londolozi have many water holes, and we did not return from morning gamedrives until I had seen something great at a waterhole. I was lucky with many sightings, even the hippo all lying like fat grubs was great. A goliath heron fishing or a huge croc sunning himself would classify, so it wasn't usually too hard! Around camp, I photographed a lot of birds, some easier than others, luckily I am persistant and I had plenty of time to walk between the four camps.

The next afternoon I had another leopard/hyena interaction, though this one was not quite so dramatic. The Sunsetbend Female had another kill up a tree and was feeding, while watching a hyena down below. Then from a thick bush, the male cub appeared carefully watching his Mum up the tree, and I am not sure if he was aware of the hyena, but he wanders off to the tree base and then in rushes the hyena. The cub seemed to hesitate as if he knew it wasn't a good idea to head towards Mum and her meal, but also not a good idea to take on the hyena, so up the tree he flew and lay down watching the hyena and waiting his turn for lunch, which did happen after a short time passed. He is a handsome boy, so with Londolozi's poor record in recent years of leopard cub survival, I am hoping that it changes with the current number of cubs and that at least some survive.

The next day we had my first cheetah sighting, a male, who was watching some wildebeest with more than a passing interest, even though he was in full view up on a fallen branch making no effort to conceal himself. Then all of a sudden, in he raced and he split two subadults away from the herd. Unfortunately we lost contact with him as he raced away, so we missed it, but he actually got one around the nose, but the subadult fought back and escaped. Within minutes a hyena was there but nothing happened between the two as no food.

That afternoon we saw the 2 x 3 month old leopard cubs of the Mxabene Female up a tree feeding off an impala, the female was not visible and it was getting close to 10.30-11am so the light looking up was horrible, so we watched a while then gave up as the glare was not good.

The next morning we were returning our lion cub hunt. As we headed north, we came across 2 lionesses of the Tsalala Pride, one is heavily pregnant and one has 3x4 month old cubs, the ones we have been tracking. They also had the ever present male with them. Beautiful looking lionesses that I had seen last December and it is their mother who lost her tail to a hyena or lion last December, though for whatever reasons, they have not joined up with her. The cubs were not with them and they moved to the west over a boundary. Returning towards camp we found the Ximovenyane Pride, 2 lionesses and 7 large cubs finishing off a zebra kill, very little left as only one male cub feeding. Then by luck, we found the Vomba female leopard heading towards the Sand River, but she lost us very easily, as she has cubs as well that I was hoping to see.

That afternoon, I was lucky enough to see a Puff Adder, we almost ran it over. We all jumped out of the vehicle as I wanted a closer photo, but unfortunately it went down a hole. I always see more snakes in winter than in summer and I do love the variety that reptiles add to my gameviewing.

To try and complete my leopard list of territorial male leopards, we saw the Camp Pan Male the next morning - again a lovely looking male, but then I think they all are, so maybe not the best judge. Also that morning we found the Styx Pride lioness with the older Split Rock male, having a face off with a buffalo herd, with all the huge bulls at the front. The lionesses had blood on their faces, so we guessed that they may have killed something small but did not really know what had happened. We would find out the story that afternoon.

Had two beautiful Giant Plated Lizards right near my room, I have now switched over to Pioneer Camp Suite #6. Got some great photos and also of a lizard/skink similar in size to a rainbow skink but black with whitish bands around the body. Does anyone know what this is? Elmon has seen them but Andrew had never seen them.

Quickly about the different rooms and camps, as this is not a feature of my trip unless it is bad. Both camps were good, the staff were all fabulous! The suite at Pioneer was nice with the fireplace, but not cold enough to use as the room was warm enough, so for me, a decorative item like the plunge pools, which even in December/beginning of January I have never been tempted to use. I actually preferred the chalet at Founders, as a more open feel and though not as big as the Pioneer suite, I found for me or probably even with a niece travelling with me, the layout was better with less wasted space. The money difference was enough, that I would feel if I returned that the money would be better in my pocket. As already mentioned, I never got the feel of the evening meal, as I had bread and fruit salad each evening in my room, so I cannot comment on the boma feel, but to me breakfast and lunch were similar at both places, with the chefs going out of their way to make sure you have everything you need. I mentioned many times about the huge amount of food brought to me at lunch, enough to feed 3-4 people, and it does seem wasteful, but they tell me that people would then complain about not enough food, although my experience is that most travellers are not at all reluctant to mention that they require more food!

one of the main problems with sandibe is the size of their concession. If memory serves me right, it stands at around 8-9,000 hectares. The rest of the 12,000 hectares is taken up by chitabe. Sandibe's position towards the top of the santichitabe, the bit that sticks out in the delta, means that in high flood years, alot of territory is lost. In 2004, when the huge flood arrived, only the main road was usable through the area!

In terms of offroading, the concesssion policy is there because of its small size relative to the number of vehicles. 8,000 hectares soon gets ripped up pretty quickly in my experience, especially following a wet year.

I would echo the sentiments of everyone else. 2006 has not been a normal year for southern africa, so viewing has been thrown slightly. Head to the linyanti, duba, vumbura around august spetember time and you will be blown away

You are worse than a TV writer with the cliffhangers in mid trip report. Well done on seeing Secretary Birds in SSGR, I have one sighting in 1999, and didn't realize it was a big deal, and to get a decent picture is amazing, every time we see them in Bots, which is frequently, they head in the opposite direction.

Thank you for your Zimbabwe/Botwsana and SSGR comparison and contrast.

Glad you got to see some Sable at least.

I think the excessive rains have impacted the late winter/early spring game viewing in Botswana. I just returned and experienced less game than I recall from the past and my guides verified my observations.

I noted your request for lion cubs and leopard cubs in the Sabi Sands, which met with success.

Naive question: Is the game there so prolific that all you need to do is concentrate on certain species and you are likely to find them? I cannot imagine requesting leopard cubs at other lodges/camps. Maybe asking, "have you seen any leopards around and do they have any cubs?" Even so, seeing them would be a lucky find.

I'm just trying to get a feel for my first Mala Mala visit next June. You'd be the one to know with the years you have spent there.

Serval sightings are always great and to see a serval kill is outstanding.

Another question--do you or does anyone know anything about the lodge Arathusa in Sabi Sands.

Lastly, Kaye, with all your SA experience, have you ventured to Phinda? Any Phinda comments?

Kay, we saw that tail-less lion at MalaMala. Leon said she had a very hard time hunting for awhile. She wasn't good at it until she got used to not having the tail for balance.

And seeing the serval like you did must have been great. I imagine it must have been scary watching the cubs with the hyena around.

We saw a strange interaction between a leopard and a hyena. It was at night and we found a leopard laying in the grass just rubbing all over a bone. This went on awhile. There was a hyena behind a tree not far away and he walked over towards the leopard. The L left the bone and the hyena picked it up and chewed on it awhile. Then the H left and the L came back. The L just rubbed all over the bone again. Then the H came back, the L left. The H chewed on the bone awhile and left. The L came back. By then, other vehicles were arriving so we moved on. 4 pictures of this start here http://www.pbase.com/cjw/image/63982746. Very strange.

atravelynn - on our first game drive at MalaMala, I told our ranger that I had never seen a leopard in a tree and I hoped to see one this trip. He just raised his eyebrows, smiled and said we'll see what we can find. It wasn't 45 minutes later that we saw 2 female leopards running and they ran up a tree! You could hear their claws gripping into the bark as they ran.

The ranger explained that female leopards are territorial and 2 females don't belong in the same area. Instead of fighting, the "invader" ran up the tree and the other followed her. The "chaser" didn't go as high up in the tree as the invader did. She stayed a few minutes and then ran down the tree. The invader stayed at the top of the tree for another 12 minutes or so before she started climbing down the tree. We saw several other leopards in trees during the 5 night stay at MM. Very exciting!

Kaye: glad your viewing at Londolozi was so spectacular. Great report, looking forward to the next installment.

Safarinut: No doubt Sabi Sand is an important part of the Greater Kruger system but the majority of the predators range is going to be confined to the Sabi Sand vicinity. Sabi Sand is 65,000 hectares with over 30 lodges, so very conservatively there are over 300 tourists in 50+ vehicles traversing the area a couple times a day. By comparison the Duba Plains concession is 30,000 hectares and has 12 beds, 2 or 3 vehicles out a day in an area that is almost half the size of the Sabi Sand area. Kwando has only 4 camps and less than 15 vehicles out a day on over a million acres. My point is animals in the Sabi Sand virtually have to be highly habituated to exist there and thus you have unparalleled consistency with relaxed viewing. In less touristed areas of Botswana (and even within parts of Kruger) with room to avoid vehicles it is going to be more hit or miss, cerain individuals will become very habituated, others may never become habituated and some may have relaxed moments with limited tolerance. I just think its helpful for planning to understand these differences and that a Sabi Sand experience is very different from typical viewing in a wilderness area -- there are advantages to both and I think a mix of experiences is great but it can be disappointing for those who are used to finding 4 different relaxed leopards every day to come to Botswana and find a different kind of experience where there are not 10 other guides radioing you sighting information on animals that will often tolerate your presence for long periods of time. Conversely for others, the high density of lodges and tourists and even the feeling that the animals are too relaxed can be less preferred.

Hi Kaye,
Thanks for all your information as I am trying to decide on my next destination for 2007.

BTW, did you work at the PA hospital? I lived in Brisbane for 2 years back in 1981 and worked with a Kaye that loved to travel, just thought I would throw it out there just in case it was you! ( this world can be so small you know)

If that is true, then it is a poor peak season, when you pay those rates you expect peak season gameviewing. I understand about the road being ripped up, but don't charge those high rates.

Hi Matt,

Sorry, I could not help myself, well I could of, but chose to be overly dramatic. Yes I was really pleased to see those Secretary Birds and to see 5 in the one trip was amazing, I saw one at MM one year but as we drove closer, it moved away.

Hi Lyn,
Yes, I was pleased with the 3 sable bulls, would have liked a breeding herd, but can't always have what you want! Regarding the cubs, I was told about both those cubs, and while I wanted to see them, Elmon really wanted to track them, but with guests only there 2-3 nights, very few will allow tracking to be done on a large scale, while I was OK with that, especially when the results were so worthwhile. There was minimum luck with the cubs, it took my tracking team hours walking in bush picking up every clue, so to me, it was their hard work more than luck, though my luck that they were prepared to put in the hard work! Have not heard of Arathusa and have not been to Phinda, though Hari should be back soon with her Phinda comments.

Hi Predator Biologist,

The Kruger Park is huge, and I find it hard to believe that the majority of predators will be confined to the Sabi Sand area. What would all the Kruger Park visitors be seeing? Cats pass through on occasion that are really quite nervous, and are assumed to be from Kruger because they can avoid humans and cars. It is a choice which you prefer, I certainly prefer animals I can get reasonably close to and are relatively relaxed around vehicles, as that is why I go, to spend days looking for animals and see them from a distance I do find very disappointing. Coming across a cat that is not used to vehicles and pursuing it, seems almost abusive, so I like them to be comfortable around the vehicles.
Hi Carla,
No am not in the medical field and have never worked at the PA hospital.

In the afternoon we decided to check up on the Styx Pride and buffalo. They were nowhere to be seen, but visitors to one of the landowners told us they had been with them for quite a while and the lions were right down into a donga, that they could not get into. It seems that this morning, they did kill a buffalo calf but the bulls rushed in and chased the lions off the calf, and would not let them get the carcass back. After lunch, the buffalo moved on and all the lionesses rushed to the kill, but the older Split Rock Male also raced in and tried to take the kill. This he did, but it came with a lioness attached and not for a second did she let go. Apparently, this speaks volumes of his standing with the pride, as they all should have backed off when he took over the kill, but that is what I have to love about the Styx Pride, they are tough! We could hear them growling and carrying on, but no visual at all! So Andrew drove around the other side of the donga and a poor visual at best. So they (Andrew and Elmon) both decided we should go right into the donga and I agreed to go for it. It is slightly disconcerting when you cannot see the ground in front of the vehicle and while Elmon just wanted to plunge over the side, luckily Andrew was slightly more cautious. Eventually we did get right into the donga and had a reasonable view though they were in a bush on the side, then when the male was resting with his big paw on the body, she decided to make her move. She grabbed the body and ran for it! Once again my heart is in my mouth because I am so worried she will injure herself as those donga sides can be mighty steep and it would be horrible to see her fall and have a serious injury. The male got the body back in his mouth within a few metres of us, though slightly obscured by a bush, naturally the lioness was still attached. Then another lioness and a large cub made their way down. At one stage, each one was just above my head peering down into the vehicle at us and I do wonder what they are thinking! Other vehicles arrived at the site, and all decided not to go in as they all thought we would have difficulty getting out. They were right! It must have taken about 20 minutes to get out and the hardest part was getting up the first rise, at an angle with no run off, as we were in a narrow donga. But Andrew did a great job, and we made it out with injuries to no-one.

Heading back that night, I crossed of another animal on my wishlist. A relaxed sighting of a large spotted genet - it was eating something up a tree, and when finished proceeded to have a quick rest. We were quite close, so another good photo opportunity! That was good luck!

The next morning, as I am lying in the vehicle, while Andrew and Elmon were tracking those elusive lion cubs of the Tsalala Pride, I am thinking that I am running out of days, and maybe I will not see them this time. When Andrew comes back to the vehicle at speed, convinced that the lions were right where we were. He and Elmon had been tracking in very thick scrub and they heard movement that they were sure were the lions, quickly moving away from where they both were on foot. As usual, Elmon keeps looking while Andrew and I do small circles around where we were. We found the male, and call Elmon to us, and then we wait for the male to lead us to the females and this he did in no time. Not only to the females, but also to the cutest little cubs all feeding after that horrible scare they had received by people on foot. We let them calm down and have a feed, then we were able to move closer for some photos. They were so cute and with those curious little faces, you can almost read their minds. So again that tracking paid off! On the way back, saw a huge croc and watched a grey heron spear a bream which topped off a great morning.

This afternoon we saw the Ximovenyane Pride lazing on burnt ground, two lionesses and 7 cubs around 17-19 months of age, not an easy group to feed. They were on a zebra carcass a few days ago, and probably needed another big meal now as they also had a male with them, and he is the Castleton Male whom I have seen a few times at Singita. Then we headed towards the MalaMala border where the Sunsetbend Female and her 6 month old male cub had been seen. When we got there, they had two vervet monkeys up two small acacia trees. The monkeys were carrying on as only monkeys and baboons can. The cub was incredibly persistent, and kept going up the centre of the tree, but the monkey would move a bit to the left or a bit to the right, then the cub would retreat and the monkey would reposition himself into the centre and off the whole process would go again. The female leopard sat to one side with this flicking tail that shouted she would love to bring down this monkey. Eventually, the leopards moved to one side and one monkey made his escape. Both leopards ran back in but were too late. The cub tried again a few times and it really looked like the monkey had won. Then, that monkey made a decision, that I could have told him was a big mistake. When both leopards lay down, the monkey fled the tree for a taller one. You could not believe how quick that Sunsetbend Female could be, like greased lightning! For a mature leopard she was incredibly quick, the monkey did not have a chance in hell, she ran him down in less than 10 minutes and it was all over red rover!

She presented the dead body to the cub, who pounced and tackled the poor dead monkey repeatedly. After about 15 minutes he proceeded to pluck and then eat, while the mother watched obviously pleased with his work! Both leopards were bloody in places, as a result of going up and in that acacia thorn tree. But for all money, she was laying down and grooming one second, then in for the kill in the next second. Witnessing kills is not one of my priorities, if I see it I see it, but to be so close to that skill and power was an amazing scene to watch. If memory serves me, sometimes it does, she is now over 14 years of age, according to the records of Londolozi, but she did not look it when she took off after that monkey!

The last full day gave me a final look at the Ximovenyane Pride heading off towards another property, looking out for a meal. Then we found Short Tail Male watching some Nyala before doing the rounds of the dams looking for anything interesting. Had my Singita guests again today, and again the staff at Pioneer were fantastic and welcoming. In the afternoon, we again found the Mxabene Female Leopard on a bushbuck kill, while not great for the bushbuck, I was delighted for her to be getting good meals after a lean few days. My final photos were of my lovely guinea fowl.

The flight back to Johannesburg was listed at 9.30am and I was taken to the airport at 9.15am, when we get a call saying they are ready to leave, move it! Small plane full of people including a beautiful golden retreiver and a cranky looking landowner who looked less than happy with us, but my flight said depart Londolozi at 9.30am. Had a quick stop to change into a bigger plane, then an uneventful flight to Johannesburg where I had a reasonably tight connection. Arrived Johannesburg at 11.10am and had to wait for said landowner family to identify their luggage, so I could take mine and make a quick getaway to the international airport about 20 mins away, though we seemed to make it take about 5 mins after the driver was told to vamoose! Didn't have a long wait before I left at 12.50pm to Hong Kong. Had a 17 hour stopover in HK, where I did a bit of shopping, had a high tea at the Peninsula and then more shopping before heading back to the airport. Then I had an hour stopover in Cairns before arriving back in Brisbane, nearly 2 days later.

That is it really, but shall have some help over the weekend to hopefully get the photos up. This trip was all digital so that made it a bit easier.

Kaye: so right about predators throughout Kruger. I did not do a good job with my wording -- what I meant was that the individual predators you see in the Sabi Sand have ranges that are mostly contained within the Sabi Sand Reserve. Later on I did discuss that predators inside remote areas of Kruger would be more comparable to Botswana. Sorry for any confusion. Glad your trip finished off strong and that you found the lion cubs!

I am sorry to hear that you didnt like Botswana.
2006 has been a strange year and the high rainfall in February has definitely affected the gameviewing (to the worse).
The high rainfall meant that the grass had very good growing conditions. It also meant that most of the pans held water (they should be drying out by now) for much longer than normal. This in turn meant that most animals could stay in the Mopane areas longer than normal. This in turn meant that there were fewer Buffaloes and Elephants to trample and feed on the grasses in the more traditional gameviewing areas. With the long grasses the predator viewing has not been up to par as you can read from several reports.
The pans should be dry by now and most of the long grass gone so game viewing should be back to normal.
Another effect of the good rains is that certain concessions had less dry ground to travel on which ofcourse also would affect the gameviewing.
I hope that you will give Botswana another chance as gameviewing normally is spectacular.
Michael

Kaye,
What fantastic game viewing in SA - all those babies! and your guides really seemed as if nothing was too much trouble. Sorry to read that Botswana wasn't up to par. It's good to get a different viewpoint, especially if all isn't rosy, as sometimes expectations can be very high when we (me in particular) read all those glowing reports.

So many lion prides! To see the leopard kill the monkey at such lightning speed was amazing. Good thing you did not blink.

When you mentioned about wanting to track certain species and other guests being there a shorter time with different priorities, it makes me wonder what your thoughts on a private vehicle at Mala Mala are.

Hi Imelda,
I think I do expect a lot, and to me, there is nothing wrong about that. But that often comes from what I read on the internet about a certain camp, and I feel that they obviously give you all the positives, and never mention the negatives. To me, SA rangers, as a whole, are way more prepared to go the extra mile, but I think some reserves in other countries are severly restricted in what they can do.

Hi Lyn,
I have never arranged a private vehicle at MalaMala, though I have often had one. Way too much money! Although after Londolozi, it is tempting, as I skip the coffee before you leave camp and sundowners and you, along with ranger and tracker choose what you look at. I never fail to get one horrendous group, but I am reluctant to complain and I think I shall start complaining as it really is most difficult, but I often feel it is only for a few days then they move on, but sometimes a few days is a few days too long.

Great trip report Kaye -- though I'm sorry we didn't meet up at Londoz, and that your stay in Botswana was disappointing. Elmon is legendary, and you were very lucky to have him as your tracker.

Glad to hear that you had a much better time at Founders and Pioneer than you did at Bateleur -- as I mentioned in my trip report, I was also in Suite 6 at Pioneer. Personally, I really loved the fireplace on those chilly nights. I also saw one of the chalets at Pioneer (identical to the chalets at Founders), and I agree that they have a more open feeling than the suites do as there's no fireplace.

I have to admit to wondering who the landowner you encountered was -- I've crossed paths with the Vartys a number of times, and they have always given guests clear priority at sightings.

Personally, I think a private vehicle is worth the money -- I love the flexibility in terms of timing for game drives and and being able to stay as long as I want at a sighting. To keep the expense manageable I'll sometimes book a private vehicle for part of my stay and share for the other days.

I am sorry, I didn't see your reply until I had just posted the photos here.

The landowner was Doc, and I have seen him quite a few times. Didn't see any of the Vartys this trip, but did have one of them on the way back to Johannesburg, had a beautiful golden retriever. John Varty was a daily sighting last Christmas.

Still could not pay for a private vehicle especially during my long stays, that is not to say that I wish I could after the experience at Londolozi.

WOW! These photos are wonderful! There are so many good ones. I like the same ones you do plus the last one of the cub in the tree. I would crop that one vertical, sharpen it a bit and print it. Love the elephants, the giraffes, the hippo in the sunset and the hippos on land, the leopards, the birds. Your photos say you had a great trip. Thanks for posting, Kaye.

Oooh, now I'm not sure. I like the way he's in the "V" of the two trees in the uncropped. But I also like the cropped. He looks like he's going to jump out at you. His posture reminds me of some of the baby bears photos I've seen. I'll look at it again tonight when I get home. I may pull it into photoshop if it's okay with you. He's so cute! I can't believe how big that paw is that is in the crook of those limbs!

I think you should start another post with the link to your photos. I'm sure everyone will love to see them and they are kind of lost here at the bottom of your trip report.

Great shots. What were you using, particularly on some of the birds? I've only seen Paradise Flycatcher once, and there you have it hanging around the camp. I need to have a word with the Rattrays.
Was the Heuglin's continually mooching at meal times at Sandibe?
Love the Short Tale Mail - Bicycle Crossing right?

That is fine with me. He's a cute cub and his mum is a large female, so with those large paws, I think he shall also be a whopper!

Hi Matt

All photos taken with the Panasonic FZ30. I spent up to 3 hours each day walking around the camps taking bird photos, and I found that Paradise Flycatcher at Bateleur near their boma. The Heuglin's Robinchat was right near my tent and I never saw them after food at meal times, it was a pair of crested barbets that were always around. Yes, Short Tail Male is Bicycle Crossing Male at MM and he is a good looking boy.

Thanks Dennis, I also like that photo, but the quality is pretty poor, due to the light conditions and the distance we were. But doesn't look too bad.

Kind regards

Kaye

Cindy, I shall do as you suggest and start another thread for the photos.

Thanks, but I am thinking that I am a MalaMala girl. I found gameviewing in the area I was disappointing big time, especially considering that it was peak season, and the big open spaces of Botswana do not overly attract me unless I am looking at something. We have fantastic and diverse scenery here, it is not what I go to Africa to look at! Same goes for Matetsi in Zimbabwe, loved the Zambezi River and the Falls and the people were some of the nicest and friendliest, no mean feat, as they were all lovely and friendly at all the CCA camps, but again they are not the reason I return, though I do have a friendship with one person, I no longer visit that reserve, she visited me at Londolozi this time.

OK. Yes, perhaps your style of game viewing is MM or Londolozi. However, i urge you not to judge Botswana thru Sandibe or the CCA camp, which i dont think are prime predator spots. However, during my recent Kwando visit....i met two nice french ladies who said they were happy with leopard and lion sightings at Sandibe. Their trip was Sandibe, Lebala, Seba camp and Lianshulu.